Gimme A D: Fitzgeralds Taps New Name For Rebranding

Posted: Mar. 13, 2012 | 2:00 a.m.

Fitzgeralds' rainbow marquee will soon disappear.

Just in time for St. Patrick's Day, the Irish-themed Fremont Street property is changing its name to The D Las Vegas. The D represents downtown's resurgence and its owners' Detroit roots. D is also what majority owner and CEO Derek Stevens is called by his friends.

The casino is also getting a $15 million makeover, which is now under way, to go with its new name. The building will be wrapped in the property's new logo, the marquee will be dismantled and replaced with light-emitting diode screens, an outdoor bar will be built and a one-way escalator installed to transport Fremont Street tourists up to the casino's second floor.

And that's just the exterior face-lift.

"We're going to try to have a dramatic visual impact on Fremont Street that blends the old with the new," said Stevens, who acquired the casino with brother Greg in October. The brothers also co-own the nearby Golden Gate casino with Mark Brandenburg.

One of the first transformations on Friday night was ready for public viewing. A new bar, appropriately called Longbar, stretches along a wall where slot machines once dominated the casino floor. Stevens said it is the longest known bar in the state at about 100 feet.

"I didn't want to do rebranding or renaming until we had something to show," Stevens said.

With 15 70-inch, flat-screen TVs lining the wall behind the bar, Longbar is a step in a decidedly more modern direction for The D.

When completed, the casino's first floor will have new slot product, new carpet, a new sound system and dancing table games dealers. Stevens said The D expects to add 100 to 150 new employees to round out the additions.

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Gimme A D: Fitzgeralds Taps New Name For Rebranding